Response time of waterflooding in low-permeability reservoirs

The time at which the difference between the waterflooding development effect and the elastic development effect equals 1% of the elastic development effect refers to the waterflooding response time, which is an important index for evaluating the effect of waterflooding in low-permeability reservoirs. Taking the five-point well pattern as an example, the response time–determining method was first designed using numerical simulation technology. Subsequently, the effects of different reservoir properties and development parameters on the response time of waterflooding were analyzed. Finally, the degree of influence of each factor on the waterflooding response time was determined using the orthogonal design method. The results showed that the higher the permeability and injection-production pressure difference is, the lower the response time is. The greater the oil viscosity and well spacing are, the longer the response time is. Thus, permeability exerted the most substantial effect on response time.